November 27-2015
In a form of Chinese water torture, the Judiciary let out one more detail in the case of Jason Rezaian, saying The Washington Post reporter has been sentenced to a prison term, but not saying for how long.
Every few weeks, the Judiciary lets out another detail, but just enough to keep everyone glued to their seats. The trial ended 3 1/2 months ago on August 10 and the verdict and sentence were supposed to be announced within one week.
But it was only six weeks ago, on October 11, that Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossain Mohseni-Ejai announced that Rezaian, 39, had been convicted by the court. He then said that he did not know on what charges Rezaian had been convicted or what the sentence was.
On Sunday, Mohseni-Ejai said Rezaian had been given a prison term. But he did not say for how long. The state news agency said Mohseni-Ejai announced that Rezaian had been convicted of espionage, the most serious charge against him, but officials said months ago that the espionage charge had been dropped and replaced with a charge of collecting information for a foreign power. Mohseni-Ejai did not give the disposition of the other three charges.
“Serving a jail term is in Jason Rezaian’s sentence, but I cannot give details,” Mohseni-Ejai said.
Rezaian’s lawyer, Leila Ahsan, said she has been told nothing by the court. The 20-day window for filing an appeal will not come until Rezaian is given the formal court documents on his conviction.
His trial was held in a Revolutionary Court, which typically hears cases involving national security or are politically sensitive. The judge in the case, Abol-Ghassem Salavati, is known for his tough sentences and has heard other politically charged cases, most famously those of the protesters arrested after the 2009 presidential elections.